Lessons and Hymns for Sunday, March 23, 2014

Mar 20, 2014

by the Rev. William P. McLemore

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS: Our first reading is from Exodus 17:1-7 where the Israelites are angry with Moses for leading them to a place with no water, and Moses pleads with God to provide water, which God does. Psalm 95 refers to this testing of Moses and the people of Israel by God. In his Epistle, Romans 5:1-11, St. Paul reminds us that “while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” The Gospel (and this is a LONG one, bring a picnic lunch) tells the story of the Samaritan woman at the well where Jesus promises that the water he has will give eternal life. His witness to this woman made Jesus more attractive to many Samaritans.

THE HYMNS:

PROCESSIONAL HYMN: No. 523. “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken.” This hymn is based on Isaiah 33:20, “Zion, city of our God” and first appeared in John Newton’s Olney Hymns, 1779. It has been in our hymnals since 1874 and appears as originally written except for one line in the second stanza. The tune, “Austria,” was composed by Franz Joseph Haydn for the national anthem of Austria at the instigation of Count von Saurau, who wanted his country to have a counterpart to England’s “God Save the king.”   The melody comes from an old Croatian folk Song.

THE SEQUENCE HYMN: No. 29 in Lift Every Voice and Sing II. “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.” This hymn was written by Frances Jane Crosby (1820-1915) known as “Fanny.” She was a lifelong Methodist and one of the most prolific hymn writers in history authoring over 8,000 gospel songs, with over 100 million copies printed. She became blind shortly after birth, but not only wrote poetry, but preached, taught, and did rescue mission work.   The tune was composed by William Howard Doane (1832-1915), a New England industrialist, who authored and composed many hymns.

PRESENTATION HYMN: No. 686. “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”  This hymn was written by Robert Robinson in 1757 when he was 22 years old.   The words reflect our wandering nature and how God seeks us out and lead us home through Christ. The tune, “Nettleton” is a melody from “A Repository of Sacred Music” (1815).

COMMUNION HYMN: No. 343. “Shepherd of Souls Refresh and Bless.” This hymn is from a 1832 Moravian hymn and the text is generally believed to have been written by James Montgomery (1771-1854). The tune, “St. Agnes,” was composed by John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876) for another Christian hymn but its strength of meter lends it to be used with this hymn as well. It relates well to the scriptural theme today, “Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless thy chosen pilgrim flock with manna in the wilderness, with water from the rock.”

RECESSIONAL HYMN: No. 495. “Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus.” This hymn is one which praises Jesus in his various roles: Galilean King, Universal Savior, Paschal Lamb, God Appointed, Reconciler, Intercessor, and the Emmanuel. The original composition is ascribed to John Blakewell (1721-1819) with later adaptations by Martin Madan (1726-1790). The tune, “In Babilone,” is a traditional Dutch melody. When the 1906 hymnal was being produced, the hymn was harmonized by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) and has been in our hymnals since.

 

Dr. Williams deserves some additional comment as he is one of the pre-eminent composers of hymns and chorales for the Christian Church [1919 sketch by the artist, William Rothenstein is attached]. One of his wives, in response to hearing him called an “atheist,” said he was actually a “cheerful agnostic.” At the age of six, he began piano and basic composition lessons with his aunt, Sophy Wedgewood. He was 41 when World War I began and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private and spent several years as a stretcher barrier. When the war was over, he became fascinated by English folk music and is responsible for preserving many of these melodies which at the time were only sung from memory. He has composed and or arranged nearly two dozen hymns and folk tunes for Christian hymnals. Before he died in 1958, Ralph Vaughan Williams and composed nine symphonies spanning a period of 48 years.

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